Brent

Oil prices fell sharply on Tuesday after official data showed China's manufacturing sector, one of the main engines powering the world's biggest energy consumer, contracted at its fastest pace in three years

The euro tumbled on Tuesday and the region's stocks and bonds jumped after the European Central Bank signaled it would speed up its 1 trillion euro bond-buying program for the next two months ahead of an expected summer lull.

Stocks rose on Tuesday, with a potential trans-Atlantic corporate takeover boosting sentiment already buoyed by a growing conviction that the first rise in U.S. interest rates since 2006 won't come until after the summer.